President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana has asked the citizenry to stand up to the vision of the nation’s forebears to “get Ghana where it should be”.
By upholding the rule of law, respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability, the populace should make the fight for a free and independent nation count.
“These are the very things for which our forefathers fought,” the President said in a message delivered on Founders’ Day this year.
He stated that the modern Ghanaian’s challenge is to build a modern economy and, as a result, to live a prosperous, progressive, and dignified life.
Founders’ Day is observed on August 4 to recognise the contributions made by successive generations of Ghanaians over many decades to the liberation of the nation from the shackles of colonialism and imperialism, and the establishment of the new nation-state of Ghana.
President Akufo-Addo stated that the people had come to appreciate the essence of the Day as well as the collective effort made by many Ghanaians to achieve independence.
“Today, sixty-six (66) years after independence, our country is regarded as an African beacon of democracy and stability.”
“August 04 is a pivotal date in the life and history of our country.” “It is, indeed, a holy day,” the President said.
He acknowledged the sacrifices made dating back to 126 years ago when a group of the nation’s forefathers formed the Aborigines Rights Protection Society in Cape Coast to oppose the application and implementation of the 1897 Crown Lands Bill.
The Bill sought to sequestrate and expropriate the people’s lands for the benefit of the British Crown, as was done to fellow Africans’ lands in Eastern and Southern Africa during the same period.
The Society rallied the chiefs, people, and public opinion on the then-Gold Coast to oppose the heinous legislation, eventually forcing the colonial power to withdraw the Bill.
“The ownership of our lands was never an issue again during the rest of the colonial period.
“We should not, then, forget that we continued to possess our lands freely, unlike the situation in Eastern and Southern Africa, because of the bravery and foresight of the members of the Aborigines Rights Protection Society, and we must continually pay homage to these patriots,” the President said.
He also described the second of two significant events in the struggle, which occurred exactly fifty years after the agitations of the 1920s, 1930s, and early 1940s – the formation of the Aborigines Rights Protection Society.
According to historical accounts, a group of nationalists gathered at Saltpond, including paramount chiefs, clergymen, lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, traders, and men and women from all walks of life from the Gold Coast.
This culminated in the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the country’s first political party.
The UGCC was the first political party in colonial Africa to issue a formal demand for independence.
Following that, the UGCC leaders, known as the legendary “Big Six” – JB Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, Edward Akufo-Addo, Ebenezer Ako Adjei, William Ofori-Atta, and Kwame Nkrumah – were arrested.
The colonial authorities blamed them for the upheavals that followed the demand for independence.
It resulted in the establishment of the Watson Commission, which assisted in the design of the path to independence in 1957.